Page 72 of All I Feel

Glancing over at her from the rack of dresses I’d been browsing through, I explained, “Well, Ace and I just decided on Friday to give this a shot. Today is only Sunday. It hasn’t even been a full forty-eight hours.”

My best friend burst into a fit of laughter. From where I was standing, there wasn’t a single thing that was funny. Of course, I was glad she found something amusing, but I didn’t have a clue what it was.

She picked me up this morning, so we could commence a day of shopping with one another. And it didn’t take long for me to give her all the details of what happened after I left work on Friday. Lark had been horrified to learn about me being run off the road, but she quickly got herself back ontrack, onto what she clearly believed was the best part of the entire story. And as I finished telling her everything, explaining how Ace and I had decided to take things a step further between us, she was grinning from ear to ear. Clearly, she’d been thrilled by our decision.

When she finally settled herself down, Lark said, “You’re joking, right? I mean, maybe you two only recently decided to make this the real deal, but this has been a lifetime in the making.”

“Pardon?”

Lark walked away from the dress she’d been eyeing for the last five minutes and moved in my direction. She came to a stop just a few feet in front of me. “Neither one of you was ready for it back then, and it’s obvious neither of you even realized it. I’m not sure I did until recently, either. But once I learned how Ace was helping you sort through your hurt over Ryan’s betrayal—going so far as to warn Ryan off you—it all hit me.”

“I’m not sure I understand.”

A satisfied smile spread across her face. “I thought back on all the time you and I spent together as kids. We were inseparable, so you know there were a lot of instances for me to recall. But a few stuck out to me. I think the first time it was obvious was when you and I had come back from getting our wedding day hair and makeup done while wearing veils. Ace looked at you like you were the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.”

My throat tightened painfully as I realized what Lark was saying. “He told me I looked like a princess.”

“And he often called you that instead of Tessa from that point forward.” She returned her attention to the dresses. “Of course, there were countless vacations our families wenton together, but I know you remember that one when you and I were seventeen, and Ace was just about to turn twenty. He was still young, yes, but he was trying to build his career at that point. Ace should’ve been working on that, but he refused to miss that trip.”

“He said he wanted one last family vacation,” I reasoned.

Lark cocked a brow. “Yeah? And who did he consistently go out of his way to spend time with on that trip?”

Oh, God. Oh, God, she was right.

My lips parted, and I stood there, staring at her in disbelief.

“I can see that you’re finally getting it.” She pulled a dress off the rack, held it up, and inspected it. Considering it as one of her options, she draped it over her arm and continued her search. “But in case you’re still struggling, why don’t you think about it like this? You suffered the worst kind of betrayal when you learned that Ryan had been cheating on you. That was about a month ago. If you and Ace didn’t have the relationship you already had, if he wasn’t someone you knew you could trust implicitly, there isn’t a chance in hell that you would’ve been able to get involved with him like this. Not after what Ryan did. Ace made you feel safe because you knew he was safe. You knew he’d never do to you what Ryan did.”

She was right about that much. “That’s sort of been nagging at me, Lark.”

“What?”

“A small part of me was worried that what happened between Ace and me was far too soon after things ended with Ryan.” I shrugged. “I don’t know. You aren’t worried that I’m just looking for comfort?”

She shook her head. “No. It’s such a bummer that youhad to go through what you did with Ryan. I hate that for you. But maybe that’s what had to happen for you and Ace to see what’s been between you all these years. You’ve already proven to yourself what he is to you.”

“What do you mean?”

She shot me an incredulous look. “Tessa, someone ran you off the road in a crazy act of road rage. You didn’t call your dad or your brother, both of whom would’ve been there for you in a heartbeat. You called Ace, the man who’d make you feel safe after such a terrifying incident. A man you knew you could trust to be there for you. You got worked up earlier when you told me how Ace has such confidence about the future for the two of you. From where I’m standing, you’ve got that same confidence.”

Those words seeped in, hit me square in my chest, and warmth spread through me. Warmth and relief that she could see this was something real for both Ace and me. I smiled at her. “Thanks, Lark. You’re the best friend in the whole world.”

“Yeah, I know. You really are so lucky to have me,” she teased.

“Am I ever going to get the chance?”

“For what?”

“To show you how good of a friend I can be to you?”

She squinted at me, clearly attempting to figure out where I was heading with this conversation. “You already do.”

I rolled my eyes. “I know. But I meant that it’d be nice to talk to you about the guy in your life.”

“I don’t have one.”

“Precisely the reason behind my question. When am I going to get the chance?”